A year ago, the Westover Market opened a small beer garden that has been embraced by the community. On weekend nights, it is the best place to meet your neighbors; a family friendly place where kids dance to live music and neighbors share drinks and stories. It is one of the places that make the town of Westover such a unique and tight-knit community. Unfortunately, after receiving a noise complaint, the county zoning commission forced the Beer Garden to go silent.

In response, concerned citizens created a Facebook page and the outpouring of support has been tremendous. In less than a week, nearly 700 people have becomes fans of the page (incredible, when you realize Westover's population is just 2200) and we've sent dozens of e-mails to the zoning commissioner. This cause has been embraced by nearly the entire community -- you can read the outpouring of support and join with us on the Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/savethebeergarden.

Unfortunately, the county has decided to ignore the feelings of its constituents. The Westover Market recently reported that after filing a music permit, they were told that it would be denied before the hearing on the application even took place.

Most upsetting, in a report on www.arlnow.com, the county commissioner was quoted as saying, "It’s very nice to have the emails, but it won’t change anything… in terms of my action."

Many of us in the community are frustrated to see that our elected officials will not listen to the wishes of its constituents. The hundreds of Beer Garden supporters aren't asking the county to ignore the zoning concerns of some, but we are asking them to work with this local business to find a resolution that works for everyone and will keep open this unique community event that so many neighbors patronize.

County officials aren't elected to be zone enforcing robots; they are elected to be problem-solvers who work with members of the community to help make our neighborhood a wonderful place to live.